ThinkFast: February 17, 2009
ThinkFast: February 17, 2009
Dick Cheney was “furious” up until the end at President Bush’s refusal to pardon Scooter Libby. “He went to the mat and came back and back and back at Bush,” a “Cheney defender” said. “He was still trying the day before Obama was sworn in.”
Today, President Obama will be in Denver, CO to sign into law the $787 billion economic recovery package. Tomorrow he will be going to Phoenix, AZ — a state that had the third-highest rate of foreclosures in January — to “roll out a plan meant to keep struggling families from losing their homes.”
Of Obama’s first 56 senior-level appointees, 68 percent are men. Nearly 70 percent are white, “7 percent are of Asian or Pacific island descent, 16 percent are African American, and 7 percent are Latino.” Of Bush’s first 28 nominees, 79 percent were white “and only 14 percent were women.”
Attorney General Eric Holder “will have to decide whether to approve the findings” of a Justice Department report that sharply criticizes Bush administration lawyers who wrote legal opinions justifying torture. The report, which is in its final stages, is expected to focus on John Yoo, Steven Bradbury, and Jay Bybee.
As the Postal Service is posting nearly $3 billion a year in losses, Postmaster General John Potter received a $135,000 bonus last year to supplement his $263,575 salary. Potter’s total compensation and retirement benefits added up to more than $800,000 in 2008 — more than double the salary for President Obama.
Time publishes its list of the top 25 blogs. Unfortunately, ThinkProgress doesn’t make the list, but many of our favorite blogs do, including: TPM, Huffington Post, Paul Krugman, Crooks & Liars, and Andrew Sullivan.
Americans’ opinion of Congress’s job performance has sharply increased from 19 percent last month to 31 percent in a new Gallup poll. Though “still quite negative on an absolute basis, this is the best rating for Congress in nearly two years.” The rise is a result of increasing satisfaction amongst Democrats and independents. Republicans, however, are now less likely to approve of Congress.
A new U.N. report released today finds that “civilian casualties in Afghanistan rose by 40 percent last year, more than half of them resulting from roadside bomb and suicide attacks by militants, but many ascribed to air strikes and other actions by NATO and American forces battling the resurgent Taliban.” According to the report, the level of civilian casualties is the highest since the U.S.-led invasion in 2001.
The private security company Blackwater is changing its name to Xe. The move is part of an effort to “shake a reputation battered by its work in Iraq.” Last month, the Iraqi government refused to issue a new operating license to Blackwater, following an incident in Sept. 2007 when the company’s contracts “shot and killed 17 Iraqis in a crowded square.”
And finally: Billionaires for Bush, the band of political satirists that “sallied forth in tuxedos and tiaras for street theatrics” to show the coziness between the Bush administration and wealthy interests, doesn’t know what to do now that its inspiration has left office. “Here’s the conundrum,” said group member Andrew Boyd, about President Obama being in office. “Can you point out that the emperor has no clothes when you like the emperor — and his clothes?” Boyd, however, anticipates that the organization will regroup for the future. “Billionaires never die,” he said. “We just refinance.”
Sign up here to receive our daily e-newsletter, The Progress Report.
Topic Cloud
ArchivesBlog Roll
Of Obama’s first 56 senior-level appointees, 68 percent are men. Nearly 70 percent are white, “7 percent are of Asian or Pacific island descent, 16 percent are African American, and 7 percent are Latino.” Of Bush’s first 28 nominees, 79 percent were white “and only 14 percent were women.”
This is what happens when education systems, testing to gain college entrance, and society in general caters to white men. If we want other people in these positions we have to adjust our social values to value them as contributors to our nation.
February 17th, 2009 at 9:06 amA federal salary, or a salary provided by the taxpayers, with all the benefits is adequate. Why would anyone receive a bonus for failure? What a mystery this capitalism but it should not infiltrate the public sector.
February 17th, 2009 at 9:06 amCheney was furious
So?
Actually, anything that pisses off that 5-deferment Dickhead is good. Remember, Dick Cheney before he dicks you.
Good morning, campers.
February 17th, 2009 at 9:07 amAmericans’ opinion of Congress’s job performance has sharply increased from 19 percent last month to 31 percent in a new Gallup poll.
Let’s hope this translates into even fewer Republicans in 2010… Maybe then we’ll really be able to bring change without catering to the Moderate Republicans.
February 17th, 2009 at 9:10 amUncle Ho Says:
Remember, Dick Cheney before he dicks you.
Oh, man! I had a muffin in my mouth when I read that!!
February 17th, 2009 at 9:10 am“W” has been erased. Hopefully, “Xe” will be also.
February 17th, 2009 at 9:12 amraynman;
Sorry ’bout that. :-)
February 17th, 2009 at 9:12 amSydney Morning Herald:
Israel ready to strike Iran: ex-envoy
A FORMER senior Israeli diplomat has warned that Israel is ready to launch a military offensive against Iran to prevent it from developing nuclear weapons.
In an exclusive interview, Dan Gillerman, Israel’s permanent United Nations representative from 2003 until last September, said the time for diplomatic efforts to stop Iran from acquiring a nuclear capability might already have expired.
“The world cannot afford to live with a nuclear Iran,” he said. “I hope diplomacy will work, but I’m not sure we have the time for [it] to work.
“Israel has made it very clear that it will not live with a nuclear Iran, and I believe that Israel has the ability and the capacity to make sure that it will not happen.”
http://www.smh.com.au/world/israel-ready-to-strike-iran-exenvoy-20090213-872u.html
February 17th, 2009 at 9:15 amUncle Ho Says:
Cheney was furious
So?
Morning Uncle Ho, fellow TPers!
I’m of the mind that Cheney desperately wanted this pardon as the final step in ensuring Libby will NEVER write some kind of tell-all book about Cheney’s Vice Presidency (in particular) and the Bush White House.
February 17th, 2009 at 9:16 amJustice Department report that sharply criticizes Bush administration lawyers who wrote legal opinions justifying torture.
A new narrative, new writing on the wall.
February 17th, 2009 at 9:16 amMay it be consequential, in all the meanings of that term.
Postmaster General John Potter received a $135,000 bonus last year to supplement his $263,575 salary. Potter’s total compensation and retirement benefits added up to more than $800,000
Sounds like the VA employees who got bonuses when they were 600,000 claims behind.
February 17th, 2009 at 9:17 amIt isn’t only Wall Street CEO’s who are feeding at the trough.
Attorney General Eric Holder “will have to decide whether to approve the findings” of a Justice Department report that sharply criticizes Bush administration lawyers who wrote legal opinions justifying torture.
Criticizes? Please tell me that isn’t the best we can do here…
February 17th, 2009 at 9:17 amDick Chaney furious ? aww I feel bad for him.
February 17th, 2009 at 9:17 am/Sarcasm
AP reported:
Despite Obama pledge, Justice defends Bush secrets
In half a dozen lawsuits, Justice lawyers are defending Bush administration decisions to withhold records from the public. They have opposed formal motions or spurned out-of-court offers to merely delay these cases until the new administration rewrites Freedom of Information Act guidelines and decides whether the new rules might allow the public to see more.
February 17th, 2009 at 9:17 am8. “Israel has made it very clear that it will not live with a nuclear Iran, and I believe that Israel has the ability and the capacity to make sure that it will not happen.”
Duh – they have nuclear capabilities.
February 17th, 2009 at 9:17 amDick Cheney was “furious” up until the end at President Bush’s refusal to pardon Scooter Libby.
What a child. Bush commuted Libby’s sentence and cry-baby Dick thinks this wasn’t enough.
February 17th, 2009 at 9:18 amWaPo reported:
District’s Carlyle Senses a Profit in Toxic Bank Assets
Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner last week said he will seek private-sector help for the banks, offering loans at favorable rates and putting up government backing to reduce the risks to investors like Carlyle.
With $40 billion in cash on the sidelines waiting for the right play, Carlyle could find many profitable deals in the financial sector.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/15/AR2009021501283.html
February 17th, 2009 at 9:19 amXe
February 17th, 2009 at 9:19 amHow do we pronounce this?
“Zee?”
Just in case I hear it whispering in the background of a phone conversation….
stateofthedivision Says: A FORMER senior Israeli diplomat has warned that Israel is ready to launch a military offensive against Iran to prevent it from developing nuclear weapons.
Jesus Christ! I understand this a part of the world with a long history of a violent culture, but this is getting ridiculous. Clinton needs to visit Israel next…
February 17th, 2009 at 9:20 amDespite Obama pledge, Justice defends Bush secrets
until the new administration rewrites Freedom of Information Act guidelines and decides whether the new rules might allow the public to see more.
February 17th, 2009 at 9:20 amIf you like Wall Street and the Post Office, you’ll love what pay for performance does for education and health care.
Executive incentive compensation and commissions turned Wall Street into an investment cesspool. The Post Office may cut Saturday service.
P4P will do the same for learning and healing. Teachers and doctors are as smart as CEO’s.
February 17th, 2009 at 9:23 amPlease, not Andrew Sullivan.
Also, noticed Kos was one of Time’s five most over-rated blogs… Personally, anyone who regards Kos a single blog has probably never visited the site, but maybe that’s me just being picky.
February 17th, 2009 at 9:24 am8. “Israel has made it very clear that it will not live with a nuclear Iran, and I believe that Israel has the ability and the capacity to make sure that it will not happen.”
And while everyone’s eyes are turned toward Iran, look over there and see what North Korea is up to.
February 17th, 2009 at 9:24 am“He went to the mat and came back and back and back at Bush,” a “Cheney defender” said. “He was still trying the day before Obama was sworn in.”
It sounds like this was Bush’s way of finally saying FU to Cheney after 8 years of his ironclad control.
February 17th, 2009 at 9:25 amIs there a picture anywhere that doesn’t have Dick Cheney snarling at someone/thing.
February 17th, 2009 at 9:25 am#21, Did you miss:
They (Obama Justice Department) have opposed formal motions or spurned out-of-court offers to merely delay these cases…
February 17th, 2009 at 9:25 amstateofthedivision Says:
If you like Wall Street and the Post Office, you’ll love what pay for performance does for education and health care.
So…what is your alternative?
February 17th, 2009 at 9:26 amunbelievable, hopefully it will be:
criticize, criminalize, penalize, marginalize
February 17th, 2009 at 9:27 amAttorney General Eric Holder “will have to decide whether to approve the findings” of a Justice Department report that sharply criticizes Bush administration lawyers who wrote legal opinions justifying torture.
There is no reason why he wouldn’t approve the report. Unless he thought the problem is even bigger and he wanted to conduct his own report.
February 17th, 2009 at 9:28 amstateofthedivision Says:
#21, Did you miss:
They (Obama Justice Department) have opposed formal motions or spurned out-of-court offers to merely delay these cases…
I didn’t miss that. The important part of the that point was that Obama’s team has got to be forceful on this and actually follow through on loosening up the FOIA standards to pre-Bush levels.
February 17th, 2009 at 9:29 amstateofthedivision Says:
#21, Did you miss:
They (Obama Justice Department) have opposed formal motions or spurned out-of-court offers to merely delay these cases
And is it really the Obama Justice Department? The tribunals are being conducted by military judges, no? That were appointed under Bush? Hardly Obama’s people…and it wouldn’t even make sense that his OWN people would not respond positively to his “offers.”
I think you’ve missed a point here somewhere.
February 17th, 2009 at 9:31 amAs the Postal Service is posting nearly $3 billion a year in losses, Postmaster General John Potter received a $135,000 bonus last year to supplement his $263,575 salary.
I’m a little confused about the USPS. Is it a branch of the government or is it a private enterprise. If it is a branch of the government, who/what controls it? I really don’t think the losses at the USPS are his fault, more having to do with the faltering economy and the fact that the internet has pretty much decimated part of their income. But still, a bonus after losses like that is ridiculous.
February 17th, 2009 at 9:32 amI wish just once when Deadeye Dick becomes “furious” about something he gets furious enough to blow out his stent and we no longer have to listen to the rantings of this lunatic. Of course I hope that happens after his conviction and incarceration for war crimes.
February 17th, 2009 at 9:33 amstateofthedivision Says: If you like Wall Street and the Post Office, you’ll love what pay for performance does for education and health care.
The college where I teach has raised standards on teachers despite the fact that students have no raised expectations. Because salaries are tied to these new standards, teachers have begun to find loop holes to save themeselves from poor evaluations that impact their salaries.
I am wholly against for-profit/pay-for-performance/anti-union-laws for education for the reasons you stated, plus the fact that it’s the students who will ultimately pay the price.
February 17th, 2009 at 9:33 amCheney is furious – if we pour water on him will he fizzle and evaporate? Or will he stamp his feet so hard that he buries himself in the ground never to be seen again?
Either way works for me.
February 17th, 2009 at 9:33 amThe rise is a result of increasing satisfaction amongst Democrats and independents. Republicans, however, are now less likely to approve of Congress.
The important part of this is that their opinion of the Democrats in Congress is way higher than their opinion of the Republicant’s. The last poll I saw had the public’s opinion of the Republicant’s in Congress to be lower than Bush.
February 17th, 2009 at 9:34 amstateofthedivision Says:
Israel ready to strike Iran: ex-envoy
A FORMER senior Israeli diplomat has warned that Israel is ready to launch a military offensive against Iran to prevent it from developing nuclear weapons.
February 17th, 2009 at 9:15 am
_______________
Um, Israel had its elections already. Why are they still saber-rattling?
February 17th, 2009 at 9:36 amTime publishes its list of the top 25 blogs. Unfortunately, ThinkProgress doesn’t make the list, but many of our favorite blogs do, including: TPM, Huffington Post, Paul Krugman, Crooks & Liars, and Andrew Sullivan.
In my opinion, Crooks & Liars has fallen well off that list. Over the last few months, whenever I’ve visited I’ve found threads on subjects that I saw elsewhere (like TP) the previous day, or they’re even later than that. Amato seems distracted, or at least no longer hungry.
And HuffPo is almost impossible to read, and piled high with really stupid “entertainment” news. Another highly-overrated blog.
February 17th, 2009 at 9:37 amBlackwater is changing its name to Xe.
A skunk by any other name still stinks. (sorry Shakespeare)
February 17th, 2009 at 9:38 amPay for performance for teachers can only be fair if it focuses directly on the actual behavior of teachers. Student learning is a function of parental support (the biggest factor), the students’ motivation and effort, the students’ native abilities, and the teachers’ methods. To base teachers’ pay on the students’ performance, i.e. learning, would be holding teachers accountable for 100% of what they only have, at best, 25% control. “Responsibility” must be based on “the ability to respond”.
February 17th, 2009 at 9:40 amstateofthedivision Says:
Sydney Morning Herald:
Israel ready to strike Iran: ex-envoy
A FORMER senior Israeli diplomat has warned that Israel is ready to launch a military offensive against Iran to prevent it from developing nuclear weapons.
Wow, we have to strike right now because they MAY have a nuclear weapon in 10 years. That’s a fact that has all but drowned out in the militancy of Israel and Bush in the recent past.
“The world cannot afford to live with a nuclear Iran,” he said. “I hope diplomacy will work, but I’m not sure we have the time for [it] to work.
The world cannot afford to live with a nuclear Iran but it can afford to live with a nuclear Israel?
If they are foolish enough to start a war with Iran, I fervently hope that President Obama is smart enough to stay out of it. I also hope that he cuts off all future aid money to Israel to punish them for their unwarranted aggressive action.
February 17th, 2009 at 9:40 amTweedster Says: So…what is your alternative?
There should be shared accountability among teachers, students, parents,the Administration, and society. The problem right now is that teachers are the scape goats. It’s not just the teacher who determines the success of the student. In fact, when we get them, they are much harder to reach than if their parents had taught them to value education, knowledge, intellect…
A teache doesn’t control the quality of his or her students. You just get what shows up. And you truly cannot reach them all.
Salaries, therefore, should be set as they are – based on experience and education levels. If you want to give a bonus to teachers who meet certain goals, then that should be driven by a variety of criteria. There shouldn’t be punishment for the fact that a teacher got a bad class. It happens sometimes. However, if there is a record of habitual problems witha teacher, then that person might need to be doing something else for a living…
February 17th, 2009 at 9:40 amBilbo Hussein Baggins Says
February 17th, 2009 at 9:25 am
It sounds like this was Bush’s way of finally saying FU to Cheney after 8 years of his ironclad control.
___________________________________________________________
OR…
It could be a carefully manufactured and leaked story designed to demonstrate that Bush was his own man and really DIDN’T have Cheney’s hand up his puppet a$$ for eight years. After all, would Cheney really go to bat for Libby just out of friendship or loyalty? Of course not — Cheney only helps those who can help him, which means that if Cheney was really fighting hard for Scooter it was because Scooter had some damaging goods on Cheney. I suspect that either Libby has nothing, or his silence has already been bought (or counter-blackmailed). If Libby had a real song to sing — enough to scare Cheney — Bush would pardon him in a New York minute. After all, any brush that tars Cheney would affect Bush, too.
But it does make a nice little story to paint Bush as independent, moral, and statesmanlike.
February 17th, 2009 at 9:40 amDr. Hussein Matt
Pay for performance has existed in health care for decades. By denying needed health care to the sick, health insurance companies give pay for performance bonuses to their employees for saving the company money.
But see, it isn’t pay for performance that is the problem per se, it is what is seen as “successful” performance. which, when the insurance industry is involved, it means denying people care that would be too expensive for the insurance industry’s margins and nothing to do with actually providing care. It isn’t pay for performance that is to blame, it is the fact that “good ” performance in the current model is diametrically opposed to what its goals should be.
Sill, I’m wondering, what are people’s thoughts on alternatives to Pay for performance?
February 17th, 2009 at 9:40 amPatrioticLiberalChristian Says: unbelievable, hopefully it will be: criticize, criminalize, penalize, marginalize
Hopefully the American people will not forget too quickly…
February 17th, 2009 at 9:41 amOn a near-daily basis, I read all the blogs listed by Time — and I enjoy most of them. But I still prefer this one.
February 17th, 2009 at 9:41 amBilbo Hussein Baggins Says:
If they are foolish enough to start a war with Iran, I fervently hope that President Obama is smart enough to stay out of it. I also hope that he cuts off all future aid money to Israel to punish them for their unwarranted aggressive action.
February 17th, 2009 at 9:40 am
_____________
While you’re wishing, you might as well ask for two million dollars and a pony. Six decades of U.S. foreign policy isn’t going to change that quickly.
February 17th, 2009 at 9:41 amunbelievable Says:
Attorney General Eric Holder “will have to decide whether to approve the findings” of a Justice Department report that sharply criticizes Bush administration lawyers who wrote legal opinions justifying torture.
Criticizes? Please tell me that isn’t the best we can do here…
Actually this report could quite likely lead to disciplinary action by the Bar Association for Yoo and several other Bush lawyers. It may also open the way for a criminal investigation. So, don’t kick a gift horse.
What astounds me is that this report is being issued by people who actually worked for Bush. That’s saying something.
February 17th, 2009 at 9:42 amJust an observation:
The big HDTV switchover scheduled for today did not take place.
There were rumors that the Obama Administration would delay the switchover for a number of reasons (”ran out of coupons”, “poor can’t afford it at this time”, etc).
I have not heard mention of this postponement anywhere this morning, but it’s worth noting.
February 17th, 2009 at 9:43 amTweedster Says:
stateofthedivision Says:
If you like Wall Street and the Post Office, you’ll love what pay for performance does for education and health care.
So…what is your alternative?
Pay for teachers being linked to student’s grades and attendance is moronic. Students are not identical “raw material for processing”: they are individuals with varying abilities (some kids just DON’T GET some subjects — in fact, EVERYONE has subjects that they do not do well in. That is NOT a problem that is directly linked to teacher performance. NO teacher can MAKE anyone learn, nor does a teacher have ANY authority to MAKE children show up to scool). However, if you do not believe that there is measurable IQ (and thus some people who ARE smarter than others), AND believe that whether a child learns is dependent solely upon the teacher (and not having anything to do with the child’s innate intelligence ofr lack thereof, the child’s study habits, the involvement of the parents, etc.) then I can see where one might support this P4P with teachers.
In the medical field I would STRONGLY support P4P, but done properly: the doctor helps and cures you, or does not get paid. Sounds quite fair. Accurate diagnosis’, accurate and needed prescription of remedies, and ACTUALLY TRYING to CURE thier patients. As it is now, doctors get paid for just following the status quo of diagnosis (plug the symptoms into a program and be told what it “must” be). The doctor who tends to you and precribes your medications will almost certainly be the one who signs your death certificate.
A saying among some nurses: doctors bury their mistakes.
February 17th, 2009 at 9:43 amBilbo says;
I agree, we do not need to support Israeli aggression.
February 17th, 2009 at 9:44 amDr. Hussein Matt Says:
California to lay off 20,000
The state will begin massive layoffs of government workers and halt all public works projects
More proof that republicans cannot lead.
Even moderate Republicant’s. The irony of this situation is that Arnold won in a special election after California threw out their former governor for the fiscal problems that California was suffering under. What Arnold has done to the state makes the former governor’s “sins” pale in comparison.
February 17th, 2009 at 9:45 amMugsy Says:
Just an observation:
The big HDTV switchover scheduled for today did not take place.
Congress voted to postpone it several weeks ago.
February 17th, 2009 at 9:46 amDr. Matt,
I also noticed that many of the main liberal blogs were strong for Hillary and I admit that turned me off of them a bit, since I was for Obama from the get-go. They have mostly come around now, though.
BTW – There is a news site, Hinessight, that is the anti-Drudge, but it seems to be lost in self-pity since Hillary isn’t president. White it is liberal, it’s slant of the news with criticism of Obama is sometimes over the top – I can’t find out who operates the site. Anyone have info on them?
February 17th, 2009 at 9:46 amhussein toasterhead Says:
While you’re wishing, you might as well ask for two million dollars and a pony. Six decades of U.S. foreign policy isn’t going to change that quickly.
I’m not so sure about that. I really can’t see President Obama supporting Israel in a preemptive strike on Iran. If he does, he will be in essence, supporting the “Bush Doctrine”.
February 17th, 2009 at 9:47 amCalifornia to lay off 20,000
The state will begin massive layoffs of government workers and halt all public works projects
The Republican minority in the California Legislature refuses to vote for anything with any tax increases. Therefore, the entire budget shortfall must be eliminated by cutting services.
I suggest we start with the Legislature’s paychecks, perks, and staff.
The Republican minority is perfectly content to shut the State government down, to throw thousands of people out of work, to plunge this state into economic chaos, unless and until they get their way.
20,000 layoffs means more bankruptcies down the road. 20,000 more people unable to make their monthly payments. 20,000 more families without healthcare.
In the past, business who contracted with the state were given IOUs during a budget crisis. That destroyed many small businesses who couldn’t survive while waiting for the state to make good on the IOUs. That will be coming soon, to be sure.
February 17th, 2009 at 9:49 amDr. Hussein Matt Says:
gummitch Says:
in my opinion, Crooks & Liars has fallen well off that list. Over the last few months, whenever I’ve visited I’ve found threads on subjects that I saw elsewhere (like TP) the previous day, or they’re even later than that. Amato seems distracted, or at least no longer hungry.
I also think that the Huffington Post has no business on that list. After the election, they seem to be morphing into a tabloid with screaming misleading headlines and about 50% of their articles linking to Politico (Fixed News of the Internet). I’m not exactly sure what has happened to Arianna Huffington. She seems to be morphing back to her old conservative self.
February 17th, 2009 at 9:50 amJust gotta love the snarling Cheney lead photo!
February 17th, 2009 at 9:50 amWhat a classicarsehole.
unbelievable –
Salaries, therefore, should be set as they are – based on experience and education levels. If you want to give a bonus to teachers who meet certain goals, then that should be driven by a variety of criteria. There shouldn’t be punishment for the fact that a teacher got a bad class. It happens sometimes. However, if there is a record of habitual problems witha teacher, then that person might need to be doing something else for a living…
OK, that makes sense. I guess when the analogy was raised comparing what P4P has done to Wall Street and USPS it got lost on me that in education teachers actually get canned based on standardized test scores. Whereas Wall St execs and the Postmaster General can mismanage their operations into the red and get rewarded for it.
February 17th, 2009 at 9:52 amPay for Performance in healthcare has the same problems as it does in education. A patient may not take the physician’s advice and may actually engage in other high-risk behaviors that the physician is not made aware of but that work against the prescribed treatment. A patient may have a permanent condition or a terminal one and the physician’s goal is not cure but comfort or life extension. And in mental health treatment these issues are even more relevant.
February 17th, 2009 at 9:52 amBriseadh na Faire Says:
Dr. Hussein Matt Says:
California to lay off 20,000
The state will begin massive layoffs of government workers and halt all public works projects
The Republican minority in the California Legislature refuses to vote for anything with any tax increases. Therefore, the entire budget shortfall must be eliminated by cutting services.
At this time, the budget is being held hostage by one Republican’t. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it. Maybe in 2010 California will once again find it’s progressive roots.
February 17th, 2009 at 9:52 amCageyCretin Says: @ 54
February 17th, 2009 at 9:57 amThanks for the insight. I got confused by an earlier poster’s analogy.
The face of an obstructionist.
February 17th, 2009 at 9:57 amMugsy;
February 17th, 2009 at 9:58 amthe switch to all-digital signals has been postponed until June.
Dumb Fox the Average Golfer Says:
Please, not Andrew Sullivan.
Also, noticed Kos was one of Time’s five most over-rated blogs… Personally, anyone who regards Kos a single blog has probably never visited the site, but maybe that’s me just being picky.
This is another “consider the source” article. Anything that comes out of Time is going to have a decidedly right wing slant.
February 17th, 2009 at 9:58 amPicture @ 69 courtesy of The Rant
February 17th, 2009 at 10:03 amIt would have been interesting if you had shown 56 appointees vs. 56 appointees or 28 vs. 28. It would also have been instructive to show how many members of the opposite party were included in both the cabinets of each leader and in those top “x” number of appointees. This would assist in measuring President Obama’s success in achieving bipartisanship.
I know the point of that part of your post was to show that President Obama has done a good job of appointing a diverse group of advisors. It would be far more credible if you didn’t appear to “cherry pick” the numbers that support your view. I understand you were just doing a quick synopsis of the article in the Post to which you link. But again, it would have been more honest if you had also shown the reference to Mr. Clinton’s appointees.
Similarly, your statement that the approval rate of Congress has risen dramatically is meant to imply (by comparing it to the 110th Congress) that now that Democrats are in control, things are better. A comparison to the 109th congress (the most recent controlled by Republicans) would be a more honest comparison and would show that the 109th (while still with a dismal approval rating at 40%) would look better.
February 17th, 2009 at 10:09 amMy experience was quite different.
“Progressive” sites like Huffington Post, Democratic Underground, Kos, and BuzzFlash turned into seething morasses of misogyny during the primaries. Shamefully, some of them even began dusting off old right-wing smears against Hillary and her family. It was disgusting.
February 17th, 2009 at 10:13 amSadly the underlying story here is that the evil dark lord, Darth Cheney wasn’t furious enough to stroke out or burst the fresh infant heart he has transplanted inside of his chest.
February 17th, 2009 at 10:14 am“The 109th Congress is so bad that it makes you wonder if democracy is a failed experiment,” says Jonathan Turley, a noted constitutional scholar and the Shapiro Professor of Public Interest Law at George Washington Law School.
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/12055360/cover_story_time_to_go_inside_the_worst_congress_ever
February 17th, 2009 at 10:18 amCageycretin says:
February 17th, 2009 at 10:19 amPay for teachers being linked to student’s grades and attendance is moronic. Students are not identical “raw material for processing”: they are individuals with varying abilities (some kids just DON’T GET some subjects — in fact, EVERYONE has subjects that they do not do well in. That is NOT a problem that is directly linked to teacher performance. NO teacher can MAKE anyone learn, nor does a teacher have ANY authority to MAKE children show up to scool). However, if you do not believe that there is measurable IQ (and thus some people who ARE smarter than others), AND believe that whether a child learns is dependent solely upon the teacher (and not having anything to do with the child’s innate intelligence ofr lack thereof, the child’s study habits, the involvement of the parents, etc.) then I can see where one might support this P4P with teachers.
Here’s the problem with pay for performance. There’s no way to measure the performance that we want to read. Truely exceptional teachers are those who FIND A WAY to teach a given subject to those who “don’t get it”. The rest of them are doing what teachers do (and that’s not a criticism!), providing information and facilitating learning for the average student. High performing teachers are those who stand out from the crowd, who have a special talent for finding and encouraging students who need and are suceptible to that extra something. One can barely describe it, but you know it when you experience it. The only way to evaluate this elusive something is to depend on Principals to spot it. And there’s your first downfall with this. You would then have to depend on the honesty and good evaluation skills of Principals- and I guarantee that there will be at least some instances of abuse and empire building.
Bilbo Hussein Baggins Says:
I’m not so sure about that. I really can’t see President Obama supporting Israel in a preemptive strike on Iran. If he does, he will be in essence, supporting the “Bush Doctrine”.
February 17th, 2009 at 9:47 am
___________
First, semantics… If we’re using the Bush definition of “preemptive,” i.e. “preventative,” then perhaps not. I think he would support a preemptive strike based on the traditional definition.
But the realistic question is what does our foreign policy apparatus do if Israel does launch an unprovoked attack on Iran? My prediction is that it won’t be much different from our foreign policy apparatus’ reaction when it launched its unprovoked attacks on Gaza and Lebanon. At worst a mild scolding tempered with some language about how Israel needs to protect itself, and some nonspecific calls for a peaceful resolution to the crisis.
I hope he proves me wrong.
February 17th, 2009 at 10:28 amI think that if you truly want to bring out exceptional teacher, you’d have far better luck with smaller class sizes. Then the exceptional has the TIME and attention to focus on those kids who are struggling. I think that kind of talent is something that we can and should seek, nurture and care for, but I don’t think it’s possible to systematically evaluate every teacher for it in a mass production way.
February 17th, 2009 at 10:29 amconniptionfit Says:
I think that if you truly want to bring out exceptional teacher, you’d have far better luck with smaller class sizes. Then the exceptional has the TIME and attention to focus on those kids who are struggling. I think that kind of talent is something that we can and should seek, nurture and care for, but I don’t think it’s possible to systematically evaluate every teacher for it in a mass production way.
February 17th, 2009 at 10:29 am
____________
Agreed. It’s a system that has to be built from the bottom up, not the top down. What makes for a good teacher in rural Kentucky is different from what makes for a good teacher in northeast DC.
February 17th, 2009 at 10:31 am* * *
hey TP !
you’re listed on the googlenews headlines… sorta…
the picture from your link is up there, and the name is listed:
[photo] Think Progress
Cheney urged Bush to pardon ‘Scooter’ Libby, ‘Daily News’ says
USA Today – 2 hours ago
President Obama was sworn in to office four weeks ago today. This afternoon in Denver, he’ll sign the $787 billion economic stimulus package his fellow Democrats pushed through Congress last week.
GOP watch Looking out for Scooter MSNBC
Ex-VP Dick Cheney outraged President Bush didn’t grant ‘Scooter … New York Daily News
Wonkette (satire) – Think Progress – Online Journal – AOL News Newsbloggers
all 10 news articles »
*
February 17th, 2009 at 10:34 amSure, Blackwater has been banned from the country, but what about “Xe”? I don’t see anything about them in the legislation. Evil geniuses!
I don’t like the comparison of Obama’s 56 senior-level appointees to Bush’s first 28 nominees. Why not compare apple’s to apple’s? Bush’s administration is history, surely you could do a comparison to his senior-level appointees, maybe at the beginning and end of his term. I know you’re linking to a rag that published the original story, but it might be interesting to do the comparison for real. BTW, nice inversion of a hit piece!
February 17th, 2009 at 10:37 amOT: From Daily Kos
Some interesting quotes from the past by doom and gloomer republicans:
Regarding President Clintons economic stimulus package
Rep. Robert Michel (R-IL), Los Angeles Times, 5/28/93:
They will remember who let loose this deadly virus into our economic bloodstream.
Rep. Newt Gingrich (R-GA), GOP Press Conference, House TV Gallery, 8/5/93: I believe this will lead to a recession next year. This is the Democrat machine’s recession, and each one of them will be held personally accountable.
Regarding Medicare
Rep. Tim Lee Carter (R-KY), 4/65: As one of the last country doctors… I ask my colleagues to vote to recommit… a bill which will within a few years cruelly overburden the Social Security System and the young workers with growing families, who will be forced to pay higher Social Security taxes.
Rep. Durward Hall (R-MO), 4/8/65: …we cannot stand idly by now, as the Nation is urged to embark on an ill-conceived adventure in government medicine, the end of which no one can see, and from which the patient is certain to be the ultimate sufferer.
Regarding Social Security
Rep. John Taber (R-NY), 4/19/35: Never in the history of the world has any measure been brought here so insidiously designed as to prevent business recovery, to enslave workers and to prevent any possibility of the employers providing work for the people.
Rep. Daniel Reed (R-NY), 1935: The lash of the dictator will be felt and 25 million free American citizens will for the first time submit themselves to a fingerprint test.
Rep. James W. Wadsworth (R-NY), 1935: This bill opens the door and invites the entrance into the political field of a power so vast, so powerful as to threaten the integrity of our institutions and to pull the pillars of the temple down upon the heads of our descendants.
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/2/15/113912/339/871/697810
February 17th, 2009 at 10:41 amI was disappointed to see the Clinton supporters yelling misogyny as she lost the primaries. I was honestly never sure if the people I’d see on the blogs were true Democrats or Republican shills. I guess probably a mixture of both.
Recently, claims that racism has any role to play in questioning whether Burris should be seated in the U.S. Senate ring similarly hollow. As his story evolves and we get more details about his prior contacts with the Governor I am more confident than ever that the U.S. people will be ill served by this tainted nominee.
February 17th, 2009 at 10:42 amIn short the republican party has been using the strategy of fear mongering for a very, very long time
February 17th, 2009 at 10:42 amconniptionfit Says:
Truely exceptional teachers are those who FIND A WAY to teach a given subject to those who “don’t get it”.
I agree with you here to a limited degree. However, as your statement stands it still seems to assume that every subject can be learned by ANY student. Personally I have not had this experience with people, myself included. I can discuss with you the implications of the collapse of the wave function as it applies to the observer in scientific experiments, I can balance my checkbook, and tell you that a squared plus b squared equals c squared, but (despite several attempts with mediocre and excellent teachers and tutors) I cannot for the life of me perform mathematics above basic algebra and geometry. Different minds have different capacities, and I think it is delusional to believe anything otherwise: every person does not possess the SAME intellectual capacity as any other person.
However, the P4P with teachers is not meant as a reward system either (it might be less objectionable if that were the case). It is actually structured as a punishment system, meant ONLY to identify THOSE NOT MEETING THE CRITERIA, so as to terminate their employment or reduce funding. It is not an incentive program, it is a destructive program: meant to destroy the education system that is forced to abide by it (because, given time, every single teacher will “fail” the standards, becasue of the randomness of student populations, eventually every teacher will get a poorly performing classroom). Teachers should just get paid. Period. Performance issues should purely be at the local level (i.e. principals/boards).
The other assumption these P4P with teachers makes ALSO ignores the difference in intellectual potentials of students: the assumption that EVERY student IS capable of getting an “A”. This is completely adverse to the grading system, where the AVERAGE STUDENT (i.e. 70-75 % of the student population in ANY given school) should be a straight “C” student, and this should NOT be a negative stigma. Grades of “B” and “A” are supposed to be reserved for those who perform ABOVE the norm — the assumption of the system (and NCLB) is that the “norm” IS “A”. This is insane.
Personally, though, I believe that the whole grading system is ridiculous anyway. It should be pass or fail: you learned what you were supposed to learn or you did not.
February 17th, 2009 at 10:43 amGood morning, everyone – I’m out to buck the statistics today with 2 job interviews today. Wish me luck. (I’m gonna need it!)
~A
p.s. Republicans SUCK.
February 17th, 2009 at 10:46 amLeftside Annie Says:
Good luck! :) :) :) :)
February 17th, 2009 at 10:49 amSo dick was furious, at his nephew george.
February 17th, 2009 at 10:54 amThis could be trouble.
Any bets that george will be experiencing some sort of a strange ‘accident’ that dick will blame on OBL ?
Go get ‘em, Leftside Annie.
February 17th, 2009 at 10:55 amLeftside Annie; Knock ‘em dead.
February 17th, 2009 at 10:58 amThanks, guys!! ;o)
February 17th, 2009 at 11:11 amGood luck Annie!
February 17th, 2009 at 11:18 amLA,
February 17th, 2009 at 11:18 amGood luck and peace.
Terrific portrait of a madman that.
February 17th, 2009 at 11:43 amLet us know if something good comes from them, Annie.
February 17th, 2009 at 1:05 pm:) — good luck.
cheney tell me about your exon mobil supplies company when we were paying 4.00 dollars for a gallon , exon mobil and supliers was making billion in a quater , how that;s works, you deserve what you get cheney, you cant even get out from hospital anymore, and i dont think you will.
February 17th, 2009 at 2:28 pmTo Perry Logan (comment #76 to my comment #73) who said ““The 109th Congress is so bad that it makes you wonder if democracy is a failed experiment,” says Jonathan Turley, a noted constitutional scholar and the Shapiro Professor of Public Interest Law at George Washington Law School.”,
Your chosen quote was from over two years before there was a 111th Congress (quote was from 2006). First, it is totally irrelevant to the argument since its author had no knowledge of the 111th Congress. Second, you have changed the rules by using a single ‘expert’ when both the original post and my comment were based on public opinion as measured by Gallup polls.
The purpose of my comment was to suggest that we have a better debate when we make honest comparisons. When we instead stack favorable quotes/statistics which are neither relevant nor comparable we only show our partisan nature. If we are serious about debating the issues, we should constructively criticize actions with which we disagree, and give viable alternatives. If we do this, we learn and we improve our situation. When we spend our time saying the other guy is wrong by searching for things only to prove that point, we don’t.
I am new to this blog, but, to date I find that it is not a serious endeavor. My first impression is that it is an outlet for partisans to feel good about their views without fearing a challenge from those with opposing views. A one sided debate serves no purpose and is a waste of my time and yours. I hope to find some honest debate here in the near future.
February 17th, 2009 at 3:15 pmCheney is scum.
Nobody should listen to Cheney in terms of the outcome he wanted relative to Libby.
Cheney attended Yale University, but he flunked out. Cheney was twice prosecuted for and convicted of drunk driving. Cheney lied to former U.S. House Majority Leader Dick Armey about the grounds for going to war in Iraq. Cheney is a pathological liar. Cheney would like to think that he is above the law. However, Cheney must pay for crimes against the United States and the world.
Maybe God is judging and punishing Cheney in afflicting Cheney with further heart problems in the here and now (15 October 2008) notwithstanding God’s fiery judgment against Cheney in the afterlife.
Maybe God also punished Cheney in having placed Cheney in a wheelchair for whatever period of time.
Submitted by Andrew Yu-Jen Wang
B.S., Summa Cum Laude, 1996
Messiah College, Grantham, PA
Lower Merion High School, Ardmore, PA, 1993
“GEORGE W. BUSH IS THE WORST PRESIDENT IN U.S. HISTORY” BLOG OF ANDREW YU-JEN WANG
ONLINE, ANTI-BUSH, EDUCATIONAL, SCHOLASTIC RESEARCH: LISTING OF MAJOR ISSUES
http://andrewyu-jenwang.blogspot.com/ 2009/ 01/ online-anti-bush-educational-scholastic.html
February 17th, 2009 at 8:33 pmAndrew what is your deal? You are annoying people. Is it your goal to annoy people?
February 17th, 2009 at 10:04 pm